Senior officials of the Iran Football Federation failed to attend the latest FIFA Congress in Vancouver after an incident with immigration officers in Toronto.
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, the delegation, led by federation president Mehdi Taj, was travelling to Canada for Thursday’s meeting of world football leaders.
The group had valid visas and planned to join discussions on global football governance, development programmes and future competitions under FIFA.
However, the Iranian federation said its officials were subjected to “inappropriate” and “unacceptable” treatment at Toronto’s main airport.
In a statement, it added that the encounter amounted to an insult to Iran’s armed forces. As a result, the delegation abandoned the trip and returned to Turkey on the next available flight.
Among the officials were Secretary General Hedayat Mombeni and Deputy Secretary General Hamed Momeni.
The Canadian government did not confirm details of the encounter but pointed to its long-standing immigration policy.
In a public response, authorities said individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are not allowed entry into the country.
Canada has designated the IRGC as a sanctioned entity and has tightened measures in recent years over security concerns and human rights issues.
Taj, who previously had links to the IRGC, may have been affected by these rules, although officials cited privacy laws and declined to discuss specific cases.
The absence of the Iranian delegation meant the country had no direct representation at the Congress, where key decisions affecting the future of world football were discussed.
